Venue notifications

ABSTRACT

A web service platform to improve end-user engagement in a captive audience environment. Mobile and web-based clients allow application users to authorize and communicate their locations with other individuals within the closed environment. Communication may include methods for forming rally points and notifying each other of entry to and exit from the environment.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the priority benefit of U.S. provisionalapplication No. 61/945,053 filed Feb. 26, 2014 and entitled “System andMethod for Increasing Customer Engagement,” the disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Field of the Invention

The present invention is generally related to web services. Morespecifically, the present invention concerns a web service platform toimprove customer communications within a venue.

Description of the Related Art

Venues such as theme parks, cruise ships, universities, arenas, resorts,and stadiums are popular attractions that host thousands of people on adaily basis. Most of these venues provide static paper maps or signsthat are meant to allow guests to explore the venue, encourageengagement in one or more activities at the venue, and otherwise attemptto maximize enjoyment while on the premises. These venues will oftenhave other special events such as concerts, merchandise, culinary, orsouvenir sales, and other limited time or new events that are ofpotential interest to their visitors.

It is difficult if not impossible, however, for guests to communicatetheir location and plan to one another with respect to when and where tomeet for special events. Guests are similarly challenged with respect tosimply meeting up throughout the day when they are only provided with apaper map upon entrance into the venue. While signage, flyers, orcommercials outside the venue might help communicate information oridentify potential meeting points, there is no means to communicate thisinformation in real-time, especially for last minute events, offers, andchanges in plans.

There is a need in the art for improved customer communications. Animproved guest communication methodology within such venues wouldimprove the guest experience and ultimately improve monetization fromthe user presence at the venue.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENTLY CLAIMED INVENTION

A first claimed embodiment of the present invention includes a methodfor connecting with a contact. Through the method, a determination ismade as to whether a user has entered a venue, identifies user contactswithin the venue, and then transmits a message to devices associatedwith each user contact within the venue regarding the user within thevenue.

A second claimed embodiment concerns a method for organizing agathering. Through this method, a rally point at a geographical point ina venue is generating. Selected contacts from a remote device associatedwith a user receive a transmission of the rally geographic informationto allow for subsequent meet ups.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a system for increasing customer engagement,including venue notifications.

FIG. 2 is a method for sharing user information.

FIG. 3 is a method for providing notification to users.

FIG. 4 is a method for coordinating a meeting point at a venue.

FIGS. 5A-D illustrate exemplary user interfaces for implementing themethods described in the contexts of FIG. 2 and FIG. 3.

FIG. 5A illustrates an exemplary user interface for implementing privacysettings corresponding to particular contacts.

FIG. 5B illustrates an exemplary user interface that displays anotification message identifying that “James Moore” is in a venue.

FIG. 5C illustrates an exemplary user interface that displays anotification message identifying that multiple friends of a user are ina venue.

FIG. 5D illustrates an exemplary user interface that displays anotification message identifying that “Amy White” is in a venue.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary computing system that may be utilized toimplement one or more embodiments of the present invention.

FIGS. 7A-F illustrate exemplary user interfaces for implementing thedescribed in the context of FIG. 4.

FIG. 7A illustrates an exemplary user interface with a map view thatidentifies an optimal rally point, a user location, and locations ofseveral contacts.

FIG. 7B illustrates an exemplary user interface with a map view thatidentifies a moved rally point.

FIG. 7C illustrates an exemplary user interface with a map view thatidentifies options for scheduling a rally time.

FIG. 7D illustrates an exemplary user interface that displays a rallypoint invitation.

FIG. 7E illustrates an exemplary user interface with a map view thatidentifies options for accepting an identified rally time or proposingan alternative rally time.

FIG. 7F illustrates an exemplary user interface allowing a user to set areminder to trigger when the user needs to begin travelling to the rallypoint.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention includes a web service platform to improveend-user engagement in a captive audience environment. Mobile andweb-based clients enable application users to authorize and communicatetheir locations with other individuals within the closed environment.Communication may include methods for forming rally points andgenerating notifications concerning friend arrival and departure.

FIG. 1 illustrates a system 100 for increasing customer engagement,including customer monetization. The system 100 of FIG. 1 includes anecosystem of data sources 105 such as mobile devices 110, point-of-sale(POS) terminals 115B or point-of-entry/-exit (POE) terminals 115A, anddatabases 120. Communicatively coupled to data sources 105 are back-endapplication servers 125. In system 100, application servers 125 caningest, normalize and process data collected from mobile devices 110 andvarious POS terminals 115B or POE terminals 115A. Types of informationgathered from data sources 105 and processed by back-end applicationservers 125 are generally inclusive of identity (e.g., user profiles,CRM data, entitlements, demographics, reservation systems and socialmedia sources like Pinterest and Facebook), proximity (e.g., GPS andbeacons), and time (e.g., schedules, weather, and queue length).

Mobile devices 110 can execute an application on a user mobile devicethat shares customer engagement data such as current and prior physicallocale within a venue as well as wait times and travel times (e.g., howlong was a customer at a particular point in a venue and how long did ittake the customer to travel to a further point in a venue). Mobiledevices 110 are inclusive of wearable devices. Wearable devices (or‘wearables’) are any type of mobile electronic device that can be wornon the body or attached to or embedded in clothes and accessories of anindividual. Processors and sensors associated with a wearable cangather, process, display, and transmit and receive information.

POS data may be gathered at a sales terminal 115B that may interact witha mobile or wearable device 110 to track customer purchase history at avenue or preference for engagement at a particular locale within thevenue. POE terminals 115A may provide data related to venue trafficflow, including entry and exit data that can be inclusive of time andvolume. POE terminals 115A may likewise interact with mobile andwearable devices 110.

Historical data may also be accessed at databases 120 as a part of theapplication server 125 processing operation. The results of a processingor normalization operation may likewise be stored for later access anduse. Processing and normalization results may also be delivered tofront-end applications (and corresponding application servers) thatallow for the deployment of contextual experiences and provide a networkof services to remote devices as is further described herein.

The present system 100 may be used with and communicate with any numberof external front-end devices 135 by way of communications network 130.Communication network 130 may be a local, proprietary network (e.g., anintranet) and/or may be a part of a larger wide-area network.Communication network 130 may include a variety of connected computingdevice that provide one or more elements of a network-based service. Thecommunications network 130 may include actual server hardware or virtualhardware simulated by software running on one or more actual machinesthereby allowing for software controlled scaling in a cloud environment.

Communication network 130 allows for communication between data sources105 and front-end devices 135 via any number of various communicationpaths or channels that collectively make up network 130. Such paths andchannels may operate utilizing any number of standards or protocolsincluding TCP/IP, 802.11, Bluetooth, GSM, GPRS, 4G, and LTE.Communications network 130 may be a local area network (LAN) that can becommunicatively coupled to a wide area network (WAN) such as theInternet operating through one or more network service provider.

Information received and provided over communications network 130 maycome from other information systems such as the global positioningsystem (GPS), cellular service providers, or third-party serviceproviders such as social networks. The system 100 can measure locationand proximity using hardware on a user device (e.g., GPS) or collect thedata from fixed hardware and infrastructure such as Wi-Fi positioningsystems and Radio Frequency ID (RFID) readers. An exemplary location andproximity implementation may include a Bluetooth low-energy beacon withreal time proximity detection that can be correlated tolatitude/longitude measurements for fixed beacon locations.

Additional use cases may include phone-based, GPS, real-time location(latitude/longitude) measurements, phone geo-fence-real timenotifications when a device is moving into or out of location regions,Wi-Fi positioning involving user location detection based on Wi-Fisignal strength (both active or passive), RFID/Near Field Communication(NFC), and cellular tower positioning involving wide range detection ofuser device location, which may occur at the metro-level.

Front-end devices 135 are inclusive of kiosks, mobile devices, wearabledevices, venue devices, captive portals, digital signs, and POS and POEdevices. It should be noted that each of these external devices may beused to gather information about one or more consumers at a particularlocation during a particular time. Thus, a device that is providinginformation to a customer on the front-end (i.e., a front-end device135) such as a mobile device executing an application or a speciallydesigned wearable can also function as a data source 105 as describedabove.

The system 100 of FIG. 1 provides services to connect venue managementwith visitors and entertainment consumers while simultaneously providinga messaging platform for consumers. For example, the social network of aconsumer may be extended into a map and the physical world associatedwith the map. Services to extend the social network of a user includefinding friends, coordinating rally points, management of proximitybased parental controls, friend arrival and departure, and customizationand sharing of photos. Venue management may provision consumers withbadges, points and rewards, coordinate scavenger hunts and competitions,and provide leaderboard and trivia services. Consumers may also beengaged by collecting feedback and reviews of their experiences,managing favorites and wish lists, conducting surveys and interactivevoting, and through the display of messages.

FIG. 2 is a method for sharing user information. The method 200 of FIG.2 may be executed in a system 100 like that described in the context ofFIG. 1. FIG. 1 illustrates a number of mobile devices such as handsetsand wearables (110), application service platforms (125), andthird-party systems (like those used in communications network 130). Theforegoing devices, platforms, and systems are exemplary. The concepts ofsharing information as set forth herein may be implemented in any numberof devices, machines, and platforms. In some instances, the applicationservice platform 125 may operate in conjunction with a mobileapplication or mobile interface on a user mobile device or wearable(110).

Returning to the method (200) of FIG. 2, an account may be created atstep 210. In some instances, an end user may create an account that ishosted by a web service platform as might be running at applicationservice platform 125 or operating in conjunction with a mobile device orwearable 110. A user account may be configured during account creationto opt-in for various system notifications at step 220. A user mayopt-in to allow the service to notify them when certain events occur.For example, a user may opt-in for notifications related to eventsassociated with other users. Such an event might be when other end-usersof the service (e.g., friends) enter a geo-fence of the venue.

The identity of friends that would trigger such a notification may bemanually created or derived from a “friends list” as might exist invarious forms of social media accounts such as Facebook, Instagram, orTwitter. The specifics of a geo-fence can also be defined at this stage.The geo-fence may be related to the entire venue, general geographicareas or “lands” within a venue, or specific geographical points orpoints-of-interest such as specific rides, vendors, or even specific GPScoordinates. The opt-in step 220 may also allow the user to provide fornotifications to be sent to other users of the system 100 concerningpassage in or from certain geo-fences. More specifically, User A canconfigure the system 100 by way of method 200 to receive notificationswhen Users B and C enter a particular venue. User A can also allow thesystem 100 to provide for notifications to Users B and C (or perhapsjust User B) when User A arrives at the venue or portions thereof. Inthis regard, the user can set up certain privacy controls to permitcertain users to have notifications and deny such notifications to otherusers, even if those other users are desirous of receiving the same.

During the method 200 of FIG. 2, an end user may also authorize thesystem 100 (or at least application server 125) to access an addressbook or other contacts list (such as a social network) at step 230. Theaddress book may be stored on a mobile device or accessible on a cloudnetwork or through a third-party service provider. In some instances,the user may be required to provide credentials to the third-partyservice provider to allow for access by system 100 and server 125.Allowing for address book access may allow for further notifications tobe generated or provided. Address book access may, therefore, occurprior to or in conjunction with the generation or allowance for variousnotifications in step 210.

Granting access to an address book at step 230 is optional. Generatingand/or allowing for certain notifications at step 220 is likewiseoptional. While generating notifications or allowing for address bookaccess is optional, denying such access may affect the overallfunctionality of generating and/or receiving certain venuenotifications.

Should a user grant access at step 230, the application running on themobile device 110 or application server 125 downloads or otherwiseaccesses certain address book information at step 240. The applicationserver 125—alone or in conjunction with mobile device 110 and anycorresponding web or mobile application—may attempt to match contactswith other users who have granted similar access to system 100. Matchingmay occur through the use of phone numbers, email addresses, socialnetwork IDs, or instant messaging IDs.

A user may—in a manner similar to granting address book access at step230—grant social network access at step 250. When a social networkservice is linked to the system 100, the end-user may authorize theapplication server 125—alone or in combination with a mobile or webapplication at mobile device 110—to import social network contactinformation at step 260. As noted above, granting access to variousaccounts and importing of data from those accounts may occur in variousorders or concurrently with other operations of the method 200 of FIG. 2(e.g., concurrent with notification set up at step 220). When theplatform operating at application server 125 imports social networkcontacts, certain relationships may be verified relationships such asparent and child, husband and wife, and then associated with informationderived from an address book contact list.

Further contact or social network matching may occur at step 270. Afterimporting all contacts and social network information (should suchaccess be granted) or otherwise manually entered, the web serviceexecuting at application server 125 will compare the importedinformation to identify end users who know each other. Step 280 mayallow for a user to set, reconfigure, or otherwise eliminate certainprivacy settings that may be necessary following the matching operationat step 270.

FIG. 3 is a method 300 for providing notification to users. The method300 of FIG. 3 may occur in the context of a system (100) like that ofFIG. 1. A user may enter a venue at step 305 in FIG. 3. The venue may bestadium, theme park, or other area defined by a geographic region. Saidvenue may have implemented a system (100) like that illustrated inFIG. 1. The end user location may be sent to a web service platform asmay be running at application server 125 at step 310. The location maybe received and stored by the application server 125 and correspondingweb service platform.

For each contact that an end user imported into the web serviceplatform, the end user can set privacy settings to specify whether theywant the contact to receive notifications when they enter and leave thevenue (e.g., steps 220 and 280 of FIG. 2) and whether that contact cansee the end user's location while they are both inside the venue. Anexemplary user interface for implementing such privacy settings isillustrated in FIG. 5A. An end user may update their particular privacysettings for any contact at any time and not just during the contactimport process as might otherwise occur in the methodology described inFIG. 2.

A determination is made as to whether any user contacts on the list arewithin the venue at step 315. The location of end user can be determinedby the mobile handset or a wearable device calculating its locationthrough on-device technology like GPS/Wi-Fi, by sensors within the venuedetecting the user entering the venue and reporting location to webservice platform operating at application server 125, or through beacontechnology such as iBeacons interfacing between the mobile handset 110and the web service platform.

The web service platform may compare a contact list of the end user toother users currently within the venue. If no user contacts are insidethe venue, the method of FIG. 3 may temporarily end or suspend. Themethod of FIG. 3 may be subject to regular polling to determine whethersuch a situation has changed. If contacts of the user are in the venueas determined at step 315, a determination may be made as to whether thecontact is a mutual connection at step 320. For each end user on thecontact list (the contact) of the end user entering the venue, webservice platform will perform a different workflow depending on whetherthe connection is mutual (i.e., the end user and the contact are on eachon one another's contact lists and that end user authorized the contactto be notified when end user enters the venue. If the contacts aremutual connections as determined at step 320, the method continues tostep 325. If the contacts are not mutual contacts, the method continuesto step 350.

For mutual contacts, the web service platform sends a message to thecontact notifying them at end user has entered the venue at step 325.The contact is added to a list of contacts within the venue at step 330so that a single message can be sent to the mobile handset, tabletdevice, or wearable device of the end user. If more contacts exist to beidentified as mutual or not mutual at step 335, the method returns tostep 320. Hence, steps 320-330 are repeated for each of the user'scontacts in the venue. A single message is sent to end user listing allthe mutual contacts that are currently within the venue at step 340, andend user can view the location of all contacts on a map at step 345 thatauthorized their location to be shared on the map. An example userinterface for this step on a mobile handset is shown in FIG. 5C. FIG. 5Cillustrates how an end user would access a map view to see where theirmutual contacts are located on the map.

For contacts on an end user's contact list that do not have a mutualconnection and have been authorized by user to receive notifications, amessage is sent to the contact at step 350 informing them that the enduser is within the venue and asking them if they want to allow that userto be notified that they are within the venue and/or view theirlocation. An exemplary user interface for this operation is shown inFIG. 5B.

If the contact authorizes the user at step 355, the message is sent atstep 340 to end user informing them that their contact is within thevenue. Additionally, the contact will now visible on end user's map atstep 345. An exemplary user interface for this step is shown in FIG. 5D.

Embodiments of the present invention may check for end user contacts ona user contact list at step 315. These checks may be periodic. Forexample, they may occur while the user remains within the venue in orderto identify end user to additional contacts who enter the venue afterend user entered.

FIG. 4 is a method 400 for coordinating a meeting point at a venue. Themethod 400 of FIG. 4 may be implemented by an end user with a mobilehandset, tablet device, or wearable device that connect to a web serviceplatform as might be executing at application server 125 in conjunctionwith an application installed on the mobile handset, tablet device, orwearable.

A shared map is displayed on a user handset or other mobile device atstep 405. End user may open the application on mobile handset, tabletdevice, or wearable device and display a shared map showing both enduser's location and the location of all mutual contacts within thevenue. A rally point may be created at step 410. End user may, throughan interface provided by a mobile device application, provide input tocreate a rally point at any location within the venue, at a selectedpoint of interest, or an optimal rally point based on the location ofthe end user and a selected contact or contacts. The user may select thecontacts at step 415 that the end user wants to meet at the rally point.

If the end user chooses the optimal rally point location, travel time iscalculated at step 420 by the web services platform, the applicationrunning on the mobile device, or a combination of the two. The rallypoint is the location that has equidistant travel times for all usersinvited to the rally. Travel time takes into account all transportationmethods available to each contact including walking times, movablewalkways, elevators, and public transit. An example user interface afteran optimal rally point has been created on a mobile device is shown inFIG. 7A.

If an end user creating the rally point provides input to move the rallypoint location at step 425, new calculations are performed to determinethe arrival times of each invitee and adjusting time of the rally atstep 430. An example user interface after the rally point has been movedis shown in FIG. 7B.

The end user creating the rally point can choose to schedule the rallypoint for as soon as possible at step 435 or schedule for a future timeat step 440. An example user interface for selecting the rally time assoon as possible or scheduled for a future time is shown in FIG. 7C.After configuring the rally point location and time, the end user maysend the rally point to all invitees at step 445. Each invitee willreceive a rally point message at step 450 on their mobile device. Anexemplary user interface rally point invitation is shown in FIG. 7D.

Each recipient 720/750/755/760 can view the rally point time 725 andlocation on the map 730, directions to the rally point 780, the currentlocation of all other users invited to the rally, the estimated traveltime of each invitees 710 (including themselves 720), and whether eachinvitee has seen and accepted the rally request. The invitee can chooseto accept the rally at step 455, reject the rally at step 455 andpropose an alternate rally point or time at step 465, or send a messageto the rally creator at step 470. An example of this user interface isshown in FIG. 7E. In FIG. 7E, element 750 shows a user (“Jack”) who hasaccepted the rally, element 755 shows a user (“Alison”) who has rejectedthe rally, and element 760 shows a user (“Caren”) who has not yetresponded to the rally.

If the invitee chooses to accept the rally at step 455, they can set areminder to rally at step 460. The reminder may be for the number ofminutes before they need to begin travelling to the rally point thatthey should be reminded on their mobile device. An exemplary userinterface illustrating the same is shown in FIG. 7F.

If an invitee chooses to propose an alternate rally at step 465 the sameworkflow as the original rally point creation takes place starting withcalculating the optimal rally point location and time at step 420. Ifthe invitee accepts the rally at step 455, their mobile device willdisplay a reminder for them to attend the rally at step 475 (headtowards the rally point) at the specified number of minutes before theircurrent travel time to the rally point. For instance, if an invitee is10 minutes from the rally point and has their reminder to rally set to 5minutes, they would receive the reminder 15 minutes before the scheduledrally time. The timing of this reminder will take into account the enduser's current location and not the location where they accepted therally. This reminder message may be generated by either the applicationrunning on the mobile device.

The method 400 discussed with respect to FIG. 4 allows large groups ofusers to coordinate planning a meeting point taking into account thelocation and travel time of each member of the group without needing toask each user explicitly. Further, this solution allows all members ofthe group to easily know whether the other members of the group haveseen the meeting point request and monitor their progress towards themeeting point without needing to contact them directly to ask.

FIGS. 5A-D illustrate exemplary user interfaces for implementing themethods described in the contexts of FIG. 2 and FIG. 3.

FIG. 5A illustrates an exemplary user interface for implementing privacysettings corresponding to particular contacts.

FIG. 5B illustrates an exemplary user interface that displays anotification message identifying that “James Moore” is in a venue.

FIG. 5C illustrates an exemplary user interface that displays anotification message identifying that multiple friends of a user are ina venue.

FIG. 5D illustrates an exemplary user interface that displays anotification message identifying that “Amy White” is in a venue.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary computing system that may be utilized toimplement one or more embodiments of the present invention. System 600of FIG. 6, or portions thereof, may be implemented in the likes ofclient computers, application servers, web servers, mobile devices,wearable devices, and other computing devices. The computing system 600of FIG. 6 includes one or more processors 610 and main memory 620. Mainmemory 620 stores, in part, instructions and data for execution byprocessor 610. Main memory 620 can store the executable code when inoperation. The system 600 of FIG. 6 further includes a mass storagedevice 630, portable storage medium drive(s) 640, output devices 650,user input devices 660, a graphics display 670, and peripheral deviceports 680.

While the components shown in FIG. 6 are depicted as being connected viaa single bus 690, they may be connected through one or more internaldata transport means. For example, processor 610 and main memory 620 maybe connected via a local microprocessor bus while mass storage device630, peripheral device port(s) 680, portable storage device 640, anddisplay system 670 may be connected via one or more input/output (I/O)buses.

Mass storage device 630, which could be implemented with a magnetic diskdrive or an optical disk drive, is a non-volatile storage device forstoring data and instructions for use by processor 610. Mass storagedevice 630 can store software for implementing embodiments of thepresent invention, including the method 200 described in the context ofFIG. 2.

Portable storage medium drive(s) 640 operates in conjunction with aportable non-volatile storage medium such as a flash drive or portablehard drive to input and output data and corresponding executable code tosystem 600 of FIG. 6. Like mass storage device 630, software forimplementing embodiments of the present invention (e.g., method 200 ofFIG. 2) may be stored on a portable medium and input to the system 600via said portable storage.

Input devices 660 provide a portion of a user interface. Input devices660 may include an alpha-numeric keypad, such as a keyboard, forinputting alpha-numeric and other information, or a pointing device,such as a mouse. Input device 660 may likewise encompass a touchscreendisplay, microphone, and other input devices including virtual reality(VR) components. System 600 likewise includes output devices 650, whichmay include speakers or ports for displays, or other monitor devices.Input devices 660 and output devices 650 may also include networkinterfaces that allow for access to cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or otherhard-wired networks.

Display system 670 may include a liquid crystal display (LCD), LEDdisplay, touch screen display, or other suitable display device. Displaysystem 670 receives textual and graphical information, and processes theinformation for output to the display device. In some instances, displaysystem 670 may be integrated with or a part of input device 660 andoutput device 650 (e.g., a touchscreen). Peripheral ports 680 mayinclude any type of computer support device to add additionalfunctionality to the computer system. For example, peripheral device(s)680 may include a modem or a router or other network communicationsimplementation (e.g., a MiFi hotspot device).

The components illustrated in FIG. 6 are those typically found incomputer systems that may be suitable for use with embodiments of thepresent invention. In this regard, system 600 represents a broadcategory of such computer components that are well known in the art.System 600 of FIG. 6 can be a personal computer, hand held computingdevice, smart phone, tablet computer, mobile computing device, wearable,workstation, server, minicomputer, mainframe computer, or any othercomputing device.

System 600 can include different bus configurations, network platforms,processor configurations, and operating systems, including but notlimited to Unix, Linux, Windows, iOS, Palm OS, and Android OS. System600 may also include components such as antennas, microphones, cameras,position and location detecting devices, and other components typicallyfound on mobile devices. An antenna may include one or more antennas forcommunicating wirelessly with another device. An antenna may be used,for example, to communicate wirelessly via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, with acellular network, or with other wireless protocols and systems. The oneor more antennas may be controlled by a processor, which may include acontroller, to transmit and receive wireless signals. For example,processor execute programs stored in memory to control antenna transmita wireless signal to a cellular network and receive a wireless signalfrom a cellular network. A microphone may include one or more microphonedevices which transmit captured acoustic signals to processor andmemory. The acoustic signals may be processed to transmit over a networkvia antenna.

FIGS. 7A-F illustrate exemplary user interfaces for implementing thedescribed in the context of FIG. 4.

FIG. 7A illustrates an exemplary user interface with a map view thatidentifies an optimal rally point, a user location, and locations ofseveral contacts.

FIG. 7B illustrates an exemplary user interface with a map view thatidentifies a moved rally point.

FIG. 7C illustrates an exemplary user interface with a map view thatidentifies options for scheduling a rally time.

FIG. 7D illustrates an exemplary user interface that displays a rallypoint invitation.

FIG. 7E illustrates an exemplary user interface with a map view thatidentifies options for accepting an identified rally time or proposingan alternative rally time.

FIG. 7F illustrates an exemplary user interface allowing a user to set areminder to trigger when the user needs to begin travelling to the rallypoint.

The foregoing detailed description of the technology herein has beenpresented for purposes of illustration and description. It is notintended to be exhaustive or to limit the technology to the precise formdisclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light ofthe above teaching. The described embodiments were chosen in order tobest explain the principles of the technology and its practicalapplication to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilizethe technology in various embodiments and with various modifications asare suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that thescope of the technology be defined by the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for connecting with a contact,comprising: determining a user has entered a venue by a computingdevice; identifying user contacts within the venue; and transmitting amessage to devices associated with each user contact within the venueregarding the user within the venue.
 2. The method of claim 1, furtherincluding determining the user contact and the user have a mutualconnection.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the user and the usercontact have a connection through a third party network service.
 4. Amethod for organizing a gathering, comprising: creating a rally atgeographical point by a computing device; receiving a selection ofcontacts from a remote device associated with a user; and transmittingrally geographic information to a device associated with each selectedcontact to allow for a later meet-up of the contacts.
 5. The method ofclaim 4, determining the time for each contact of the selected contactsto travel to the geographical point.
 6. The method of claim 5, furthercomprising: changing the geographical location or a time associated withthe rally; and updating the time for each contact of the selectedcontacts to travel to the geographical point.